Environmental measurement technology developer Vaisala has launched Wx Horizon Premium, the latest subscription tier of its weather hazard information system for winter road maintenance organizations.
Wx Horizon Premium includes a 72-hour pavement forecast along with 10-day atmospheric forecasting. It also has built-in alerting and automated notification services to remove the need for continuous monitoring. The company has ensured that its user-defined virtual forecast points can be matched to operational needs to ensure forecast data is received where it’s needed most.
Vaisala’s new Ground Cast Sensor is automatically integrated into Wx Horizon Premium which fuses local observation data with two of Vaisala’s modeling systems – its road weather model and a weather forecasting system for transportation. It measures road temperature and the number of treatment materials with the same performance as Vaisala’s road weather stations.
The Ground Cast Sensor is designed to make reference-grade observations from anywhere without external powering or any other infrastructure and produce a reference level accuracy of ±0.2°C. To improve pavement forecasts, the sensor measures the temperature from the surface and multiple depths, from -6cm and -30cm.
The sensor also measures the amount of residual treatment material to validate the effectiveness of targeted treatments and avoid the unnecessary use of treatment materials. Its built-in narrow-band Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity works over cellular networks to remove the complexities of data communication. All this information is automatically available in Wx Horizon Premium or alternatively as an application programming interface (API) for integration into other systems.
Wx Horizon Premium uses connected observation networks to improve forecasting capabilities and alerts. This subscription service was created to support data-driven treatment decisions by ensuring predictable operating costs and removing the need for network monitoring and complex data communications.
Samuli Hänninen, vice president of emerging business units, weather and environment at Vaisala, said, “Cloud computing combined with wireless connectivity enables the next level of measurement accuracy combined with unforeseen ease of use. We are very excited to launch this new subscription service, allowing users to make data-driven winter maintenance decisions.”